Poll: President Obama approval highest since '09

President Barack Obama’s job approval is at the highest level since his first year in office, and Americans prefer his economic message to that of his increasingly unpopular GOP opponents, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Fifty-five percent of Americans approve of Obama’s job performance, the highest since September 2009, according to the Bloomberg poll. Forty percent disapprove. Only 35 percent have a favorable view of the Republican party, and 55 percent have an unfavorable outlook. Democrats other than Obama are less popular — 47 percent of those surveyed have a favorable view, and 43 percent have an unfavorable opinion.

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Asked which approach they think will grow the economy, 49 percent of Americans chose increasing government investment in education, alternative energy and education. Only 44 percent said they preferred slashing spending and cutting business taxes.

Americans do narrowly disapprove of Obama’s handling of the economy, and have an overwhelmingly negative opinion about his handling of the federal deficit — only 35 percent approve, and 55 percent disapprove. But majorities approve of his foreign policy and his efforts to combat terrorism.

As negotiations on the sequester — a package of $1.2 trillion in spending cuts scheduled to go into effect March 1 — sit at a standstill, only 42 percent approve of how Obama is negotiating with congressional Republicans. Forty-four percent disapprove. Americans are more likely to blame Republicans than Democrats for problems in Washington, 43 percent to 34 percent.

Seventy-four percent expect the economy to get better or stay the same in the coming year, 73 percent said the same about job growth and 81 percent said the same of the housing market. But a plurality — 35 percent — said America’s position in the world will get worse, and a majority — 55 percent — said health care costs would get worse.

On one top issue on the Washington agenda, 47 percent approve of Obama’s handling of immigration and only 38 percent disapprove. A plurality of 35 percent want a pathway to citizenship, and another 18 percent said a pathway should be available after improvements in border security.

The poll of 1,003 adults was conducted from Feb. 15 to Feb. 18. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.